Colour me Curious
by Midnight-Gypsy101
Summary: A different take on let me hear your balalaikas ringing out. Jess sticks around and helps Rory to put her life together again. REVIEW. Now complete unless people want me to carry on.
1. Chapter 1

COLOUR ME CURIOUS

A/N- A new fanfic I just watched _Let me hear your balalaikas ringing out. _It gave me the idea for this, so I hope you like. Review please.

Chapter one: Balalaikas, Books, And Blow ups.

Rory was trying to work out why she felt so nervous, it was just Jess. His arrival the night before had undoubtedly been a shock, and the news that he, that Jess Mariano, town hoodlum, ex-boyfriend and high school drop out, had written a book had shocked her even more. She hated telling him she'd taken a break from Yale, because they both knew that time off meant she'd dropped out, she'd felt embarrassed showing him the room that her grandmother had decorated, and talking about the DAR felt awkward, despite all that she was looking forward to talking to Jess again. He was due any minute so she didn't have time to change, she was annoyed about that because her outfit reminded her of something her grandmother would wear, the tweed jacket and black pants. Still she made her way downstairs and out into the drive, a smile playing on her lips as she saw Jess standing there throwing pebbles at her window. He jumped as he heard her and was ready to run away before noticing who it was.

'What are you doing?' Rory asked with a laugh, he dropped the remaining pebbles and replied in a whisper.

'I wasn't sure if I could knock.' He said, Rory laughed again. It wasn't shocking that he'd think that after the way she had snuck him into the house last night and kept their conversation very quiet.

'She's not here, she's playing bridge tonight.' Rory explained. Jess visibly relaxed.

'Ok so where do you feel like going?' Jess asked, standing next to Rory.

'I don't know, I don't really know the area.' Rory shrugged, it was Jess' turn to laugh.

'You live here.' Jess said with an amused smirk. Both relaxing in each others company, the nervousness of the evening before forgotten. Until headlights shone on them both, Rory looked up and held in a sigh as she saw Logan. He was meant to be out of town until tomorrow, and now he was here just as she was about to leave for dinner with Jess.

'Hey Ace, I'm not interrupting am I?' Logan asked getting out of the car and standing in front of Jess, Rory in the middle looking between them, she could feel the tension.

'No! We were just heading out for dinner.' Rory replied.

'We who? You've not introduced him yet.' Logan pointed out, still staring at Jess.

'Oh right, Logan this is my old friend Jess. Jess this is my boyfriend Logan, he's just got back from out of town.' Rory replied nervously, they didn't say anything just stared at each other. So Rory spoke again.

'That makes me sound so grown up, saying things like got back from out of town, and old friend. Because when you're young all your friends are new, you have to get old to have old friends.' She knew she was rambling but she couldn't help it, that's what she did when she was nervous. Logan ignored her rant and continued to smile, while Jess smiled at her rambling remembering that she did it when nervous, but kept his gaze on the blonde guy in front of him.

'So Jess, what is it you do?' Logan asked.

'This and That.' Jess shrugged evasively, clearly Jess still had the ability for the verbal thing to come and go. Logan wasn't satisfied with his answer, and probed further.

'Describe the this, describe the that.' Logan said smugly.

'Nothing important.' He replied, Rory wouldn't listen to Jess say that, he had done something important and she'd make sure that Logan knew it.

'He writes.' Rory said defending Jess. This struck an interest with Logan.

'A writer, what kind of stuff do you write? Novels, short stories, poetry?'

Jess wasn't willing to answer him, instead opting to remain silently staring at Logan. Rory again jumped in, ashamed at the way Logan was acting.

'He wrote a book.' Rory replied.

'A book, how long I mean are we talking Tolstoy? Hemmingway? Longer?' Logan asked. 'I'm not throwing you with these names am I?'

'You seem very interested in length.' Jess said through gritted teeth.

'It's a short novel.' Rory said trying to think of a way to change the subject.

'Is it any good?' Logan asked.

'I haven't read it yet.' Rory replied, wanting nothing more than to leave this uncomfortable conversation. She'd been looking forward to catching up with Jess.

'Yet. Well at least you'll have one reader. You know maybe I should just start writing down my thoughts and stuff, add a bunch of he said, she said and get it published.' Logan laughed a smug smile on his face. 'Do you have a copy with you?'

'No.' Jess replied.

'Shame, maybe you could send me one.' Logan said scornfully.

'Sure where do I send it, the blonde jerk at Yale?' Jess said angrily.

'Jess!' Rory said pleading him to stop. 'Come on we were going to eat.'

'How about I join you, I can get to know Jess a little better. So when you say old friend, you mean ex right?' Logan asked.

'Yes we dated in high school.' Rory said frustrated, she could tell Jess was on the verge of storming off.

'How cute, we're you the high school sweethearts, two straws in the milkshake couple? Well you can tell me about it at dinner, shall we go?' Logan asked, putting his arm around Rory, she pulled away from it.

'Logan I think it would be better if you didn't come. Me and Jess have a lot to catch up on.' Rory said firmly. Catching Jess' interest, she still wanted to have dinner with him.

'Fine, whatever.' Logan said angrily, getting into his car and driving off, Rory knew they'd have a fight about that later, but right now her attention was on Jess.

'So shall we?' Rory asked. Jess nodded and they headed to his car, driving to a funky French style bistro in the college district. They talked about old times, caught each other up on their lives and avoided the subject of Logan until Jess couldn't take it anymore.

'What are you doing Rory?' Jess asked as they walked back to the car after they'd eaten.

'I'm going towards the car.' Rory said, although she knew what he was talking about.

'Not that, Rory what are you doing? Being with that jerk…' Rory cut him off.

'He isn't usually like that, he's just tired from travelling and he drank too much…' She made excuses for Logan, feeling she had to.

'No he's a jerk, I could see that the moment I met him, what are you doing Rory, living at your grandparents, being the DAR, not talking to your mum, not going to Yale. Why did you drop out of Yale?! This isn't you Rory, I know you, better than anyone else does, and this…it isn't you. So what are you doing?' Jess demanded, Rory stood still for a minute, tears in her eyes as she questioned everything.

'I don't know.' She said lamely. Because that was all she could think of too say. 'I don't know.' She shook her head and started crying. 'I've messed everything up, things got bad and I made a stupid choice and then things just spiralled out of my control, I didn't know what to do so I let my grandparents have the control. It was all supposed to be temporary but then it got more permanent. I've been so stupid, and I miss my mum and I miss Yale but I just…' She was crying harder and Jess looked at her sadly.

'Just what Rory? If you want to fix it then you can, you're smart and strong and you can do it.' Jess said.

'I'm scared Jess, what if I've messed things up too much to fix? I can't do this alone.' Rory cried.

'Listen, take tonight and think about what you want to happen, make a list, you like lists. Then tomorrow I'll pick you up from your function' He smirked at that, not believing she actually had a DAR function. 'Then we'll take the first and most important step, it's not going to be easy but you can't fix anything until you do.'

'What?' Rory said slightly afraid.

'I'm going to take you home.' Jess said, Rory relaxed a little, got into the car and they drove off down the road. He dropped her off and instead of going inside she drove to Lanes.

*

'Where were you young lady? You didn't come home last night, and you're not wearing your dress.' Emily was furious.

'I didn't have time to come back and change, I was at my friends house.' Rory said walking around the room, making sure everything was ok. Last night she'd sat up awake all night making a list of goals that she wanted to achieve and she'd already began, she didn't want to go home this afternoon and have nothing to show her mum she was truly fixing things. So early that morning she'd called Yale and sorted out going back, amongst other things.

'Can't they play those guitars quieter?' Emily said annoyed.

'They're balalaikas.' Rory shot back.

'You young lady need to learn to follow the house rules, you were late today.'

'I wasn't late grandma, I was early for the function, you're just mad because I missed your inspection at home.' Rory yelled.

'You will not speak to me like that.' Emily shouted. 'You're grounded.'

'You can't ground me, I'm twenty one.' Rory laughed.

'You get more like your mother everyday.' Emily's eyes flashed with anger.

'And you get more like my mothers mother everyday.'

'You wait until your father gets home, he'll teach you the house rules.'

You mean my grandfather?' Rory was shocked, she finally knew what it was like for her mum growing up with the Gilmore's. 'And besides I don't have to follow the house rules if I don't live there.'

*

Rory stepped out into the street and saw Jess sat in his car waiting, she smiled. She'd changed into a pair of jeans and a white top, feel much more herself, she got into his car.

'You ready to go?' Jess asked, she nodded and started telling him that she was back in Yale, and all her other plans. Knowing that everything was going to be ok.

A/N- There it is the first part. I doubt the other chapters will be this long though. Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2: Ones a hoodlum the other

**COLOUR ME CURIOUS**

**A/N- A new fanfic I just watched **_**Let me hear your balalaikas ringing out. **_**It gave me the idea for this, so I hope you like. Review please.**

**Chapter Two: Ones a hoodlum, the other has a crown.**

'**I changed my mind, I can't do this.' Rory said now freaking out as they walked towards the house, she turned to run back to the car but Jess caught her, and standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders, gently pushed her up the steps.**

'**Come on we're here now.' Jess said 'Just ring.'**

'**I can't, what if she doesn't want to see me, I've messed things up so badly.' Rory said trying to get away again. 'You do it, you knock. I'll wait over there and you knock, give my mum some warning.'**

'**Sure because seeing me, who she hates is going to be a much nicer surprise.' Jess smirked.**

'**Please!' Rory begged, giving him the classic Gilmore pout that he couldn't say no to.**

'**You're ridiculous.' Jess shook his head as she hid just out of sight of the door.**

'**And you're wonderful.' Rory smiled as he rang the bell, a minute later Lorelai pulled the door open, shocked at seeing Jess there.**

'**Hoodlum.' Lorelai said in confusion, Jess laughed a little at the nickname she and the rest of town had given him. 'Luke's here if you're looking for him. Luke! Jess is here.' Lorelai yelled.**

'**Actually, I'm here to see you.' Jess replied which caused Lorelai to go into even more shock, as Luke appeared.**

'**Jess, did I know you were coming? You're not in trouble are you?' Luke asked.**

'**Jeez, no you didn't know I was coming and no I'm not in trouble.' Jess said, he could see Rory trying not to laugh. 'I came to see Lorelai, I found something that belongs to her.' He looked to Rory but she shook her head.**

'**Urm well unless it's an invisible something.' Lorelai looked even more confused.**

'**See I was in Hartford on business…' Jess started.**

'**Business, what kind?' Luke asked a little concern leaking into his voice.**

'**Just business, all above board, and I ran into someone who is very interested in seeing you.' Jess said, this time pulling Rory into full view. Lorelai smiled a mixture of shock, and joy as she embraced her daughter.**

'**You're really here!' Lorelai squealed, both girls now giggling and hugging each other. Jess stepped back for his own protection, afraid he would be knocked over of he didn't move out of their path. **

'**I'm so sorry mum, I've been so stupid but I'm fixing it now, I've called Yale and I'm back in, I'll have to work really hard to catch up but I'll do it, and I'm moving out of Grandma's and Grandpa's. I need to find somewhere to live, but I think Paris still has a room to rent, I'm going to apply for a job at the Stamford Gazette and I won't take no for an answer. I'm so sorry mum.' Rory rambled on the way only a Gilmore Girl could. Half crying and half laughing.**

'**Oh babes, your home that's all that matters.' Lorelai said hugging tighter.**

'**I missed you mum.' Rory said her tears drying.**

'**Kid you have no idea.' Lorelai said happily. 'Come on this is cause for celebration.' She ushered everyone into the house, then sharply turned around to look at Jess, pointing a finger at him.**

'**You! What have you got to do with all this?' Lorelai asked curiously. Rory laughed.**

'**Jess yelled at me, until I realised I was being stupid. He called me on all the rubbish I've been doing and wasn't afraid to be brutally honest with me.' Rory replied, smiling over thankfully.**

'**Well I didn't expect this, but thank you Jess. I mean that, you brought my little girl back to me.' Lorelai thanked him sincerely.**

'**No problem, It was all her, I just yelled she was the one who sorted things out, who fixed it all.' Jess shrugged off his part in it all. **

'**You did more than that Jess. If you hadn't come to see me then I wouldn't be here right now.' Rory said giving him a hug. 'You always find a way to save me.' She whispered. Her phone ringing caused her to pull away, getting the phone out from her pocket, it was Logan's number that flashed up on the screen. She didn't know how to deal with that, she hadn't come up with a plan about what to do about Logan. She knew that he wasn't the kind of guy who was going to help her make her way back to who she truly was, in fact he'd been the one who had pushed her, and encouraged her to start this high society party girl life, ever since meeting him she'd become so different, and he didn't even know her well enough to know that this wasn't her, he didn't care about her enough to push her to fix things. As the phone kept ringing she knew what she had to do, if she was going to fix things then she needed to fix them all.**

'**Logan hi.' Rory said stepping onto the porch.**

'**Ace, I know you're mad at me but I'm sorry ok. I shouldn't have acted that way with John, or Jack or whatever. Please don't be mad.' Logan said, though he sounded a little less than sincere.**

'**Logan, this…us isn't working.' Rory said breathing out. She felt a weight lift from her shoulders. 'I'm going back to school, and moving out of my grandparents, I want to get back to the old me and I can't be her around you. I don't want to hurt you but…I can't be with you anymore.' Rory explained as best she could, hoping he would understand what she was saying, and why she needed to break up.**

'**Ace, I love you. You can be the old you around me. Come on, why don't we go out for a drink and talk it over.' Logan suggested. 'We could meet up at the pub.'**

'**Logan! That's exactly what I don't need, going to the pub and drinking until I change my mind.' Rory said leaning against the door, she knew her mum, Luke and Jess would be listening, but she didn't care, in a way it made it easier.**

'**That's not what I meant, just talk things over. It's great you're going back to school, but does that really mean it has to end us as well?' Logan asked.**

'**Logan, it's not about me going back to school, it's about how you acted when you met Jess, it's about the way you live your life, and that's fine for you, I'm not judging it all I'm saying is that I can't be a part of it anymore. We just don't fit.' Rory tried to explain.**

'**So what is it, I'm not good enough for you…Or wait no it's not that is it, this is about writer boy.' Logan fumed, 'I should have known that you two weren't just friends, is that it you're going back to him.'**

'**Logan, this had nothing to do with Jess!' Rory yelled. **

'**Yes it does, he shows up and suddenly you're making all these big choices. So what is it, he put you up to all this?' Logan asked.**

'**I'm twenty one years old Logan! I can think for myself and maybe that's what's getting to you so much, you seemed to like it just fine when I followed your lead, wasting my life getting drunk and partying. Jess is my friend and is helping me get things together, back to how I want them to be. You never even tried to help me, you knew how badly I needed my mother but not once would you even talk to me about it.' Rory was crying by now.**

'**Oh so that's all my fault too?' Logan yelled. 'It wasn't me that made you steal that boat, it wasn't me that made you drop out of Yale, it wasn't me that stopped you talking to your mum or any of that stuff, you did that. You made your own choices, so don't you dare try and pin them on me.' **

'**I'm not! Listen to me, I made all those choices on my own, I take full responsibility for that, what I'm saying is that whenever I needed you to be there for me, you weren't there. It always had to be about your problems, and I can't do that anymore.' Rory sobbed. 'It's over.' She added before hanging up the phone and going back inside.**

'**That sounded rough.' Lorelai consoled her daughter.**

'**Yeah it was, but things are going to be good now.' Rory sighed, hugging her mum.**

**A/N- Hope you like. Review.**


	3. Chapter 3: Even Gilmore's make mistakes

_COLOUR ME CURIOUS_

_A/N- A new fanfic I just watched Let me hear your balalaikas ringing out. _It gave me the idea for this, so I hope you like. Review please.

Chapter Three: Gilmore's make mistakes too

It had been a week since Rory had broken up with Logan, and she'd started a part time job at the Stamford press, and was preparing to go back to school, she'd contacted Paris and agreed that she would rent the extra room, although her friend had hidden it well, she was pleased that Rory was coming back to Yale. Currently Rory was living at home in stars hollow with her mum, making up for lost time. Jess had stuck around, and was going round Connecticut to small bookstores, trying to get his book into some of them, and in his spare time he was helping Luke out in the diner, in exchange for being allowed to stay in the apartment. It felt like old times, being back here and the two of them at the same time. Rory felt like she was seventeen again, she was back to her old self, though maybe a little more mature than she had been before. She had very little spare time, with school coming up and her job, and her mum, but whenever she could she'd meet Jess, they'd spent a lot of time catching up, and had managed to get back to a place in their relationship where they'd been before all the drama, they were back to being friends, who could talk about everything and nothing, it didn't matter to them if the time they spent together was just sat reading, the silence never felt awkward or unwanted, they both became comfortable around one another, without the nervousness they'd had on the last few occasions they'd seen each other. Lorelai watched on as her daughters friendship with Jess grew, only this time round she didn't fight it, she could see that there were feelings there, whether they were romantic or purely friendly she wasn't sure, but she was waiting patiently to find out.

It was a sunny day in early September, the day before Rory was returning to Yale, Jess had stayed here for three weeks now, and everyone was pretty sure it wasn't for the sake of his book, or to help in the diner. Rory and Jess had begun spending more time together, which is what they were doing now, sat down at the bridge in the sun, Jess reading as Rory was laying down with her head on his lap, watching the clouds float by overhead, her gaze shifted to Jess, watching as he read she sighed a little. Things were great between them at the moment and she was afraid that if she brought up wanting to be more than friends he may not feel the same. So she stayed silent, just watching him. He felt her gaze, put his hand on her arm gently and rested the book down.

'What are you thinking Gilmore?' He asked, he always had known what she was feeling, why should now be any different. It was usually his place to become evasive when important subjects were being brought up, but this time she was the one avoiding his eyes.

'I don't want to make any more mistakes.' She said cryptically, he looked back at her with amused confusion, he may know her well but she could be hard to understand at some times.

'Even Gilmore's make mistakes.' Jess said his fingers tickling her arm with their light strokes, as he traced circles on her wrists. 'You shouldn't be afraid to do things just because they might not go the way you want.'

'What if doing something or saying something might ruin something you don't think you could stand to loose again.' Rory asked her tone becoming more serious, Jess took a deep breath to steady his voice, he was pretty sure this was going to have something to do with them, he just wasn't sure which way it would go.

'I think you have to risk it, because you might just get the result you want.' Jess replied. Rory nodded slowly and sat up turning so she was facing him, her legs tucked up under her.

'Jess, shouldn't you be back at work by now? Why are you staying here so long?' Rory asked, unable to put her heart on the line blindly, she needed to know how he felt, even just a little bit and Jess sensed that, he took her hand and looked into her blue eyes, which were wide with innocence and fear. It was now or never.

'I'm here for you Rory, I always will be.' He replied sincerely. 'I do have to go back to work soon, but while you were here I wanted to stay.'

'Why would you stay for me?' Rory asked shyly, looking down at the wooden panels of the bridge. He lifted her chin up so he could look into her eyes again.

'If you don't know that by now…' He trailed off. 'Nothings changed for me Rory. They never will.'

The full impact of his words hit her and she leaned forward and kissed him, taking him by surprise, much like their first kiss many years ago, only this time she didn't run away. She pulled back with a huge smile on her face and tears in her eyes.

'I love you.' She said it, finally after feeling it for so long she'd said the words out loud. She was rewarded by a quick kiss, and a smile from him.

'I love you too.' He replied.

No, this time she didn't run away from him, instead she gave him her heart fully, knowing that it would be his forever.

A/N- Hope you like it. Please review. This will probably be the last part, unless I get a bunch of requests to continue. Though I never meant for it to be a long FanFic.


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